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Meet our board of directors

Charles Knowles - Board Chair

Charlie retired early as a successful Stanford-educated entrepreneur in Silicon Valley. He founded software company Rubicon Technology in 1989 and sold it in 1994. His retirement lasted six days, until he launched full-time into applying his business acumen and experience to wildlife conservation. In the 1990s, Charlie helped the Cheetah Conservation Fund and the Snow Leopard Conservancy grow into world-class conservation programs. In doing so, he recognized the opportunity for a new model of wildlife conservation, and in 2002 he co-founded the Wildlife Conservation Network to identify, qualify and invest in the best and brightest conservationists around the world. The synthesis of creativity and practicality in Charlie's approach has inspired thousands of passionate donors, as well as a rising generation of conservation pioneers.

John Lukas - Director

John, who is currently Conservation and Science Manager for the Jacksonville Zoo and President of the Okapi Conservation Project and the International Rhino Foundation, has over 25 years of international conservation experience. From his work with okapi in the Congo to saving rhinos in Sumatra, John has seen first-hand the importance of integrating the needs of local people into conservation strategies. He is a co-founder of WCN.

Akiko Yamazaki - Director

Akiko is a co-founder of WCN who developed her passion for wildlife and wilderness areas during her childhood in Costa Rica. She believes that the goals of conservation are best served by a combination of entrepreneurial energy and commitment to local involvement and development. Akiko and her husband, Jerry Yang, founder of Yahoo, are active supporters of a number of philanthropic organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area. Akiko is the board chair of the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. An avid horsewoman, she also serves on the National Advisory Committee of the United States Equestrian Team Foundation. Additionally, she and her husband are ardent supporters of their alma matter, Stanford University, having co-chaired the $1 billion Campaign for Undergraduate Education and provided the naming gift for the Environment and Energy Building.

Christine Hemrick - Director

Christine retired as an executive of Cisco Systems after 30 years in the high technology industry. She is an avid conservationist and a Trustee of the African Wildlife Foundation. She is also a leading supporter of the Andean Cat Alliance, a multinational group of researchers and conservationists dedicated to conserving the Andean mountain cat.

Rebecca Patton - Director

After 20 years in the private sector in Silicon Valley, Rebecca joined The Nature Conservancy in 2001 to pursue her life-long interest in conservation. As a Regional Director she oversaw conservation programs in many parts of the world, from China to Peru to the western United States, and developed a deep appreciation for the importance of community-based conservation. Then as the Chief Conservation Strategies Officer she led TNC's global policy and science initiatives. She joined WCN in 2010 to contribute her experience to WCN's innovative and effective model for wildlife conservation. She is on the boards of several other conservation organizations, and in her free time, she also enjoys hiking adventures.

David J. Berger - Director

David is a senior partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. David is a member of the firm’s board of directors and chair of the firm’s Pro Bono Committee. David’s practice specializes in corporate governance and related litigation matters, has had a leading role in many of the most prominent corporate control and governance disputes in Silicon Valley and Delaware and has taught corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, and related classes at institutions such as Harvard Law School, Stanford Law School, UC Berkeley's Boalt Hall School of Law, and Duke Law School. David is an avid conservationist who feels privileged to be part of the WCN family.

Bill Unger - Director

After graduating from the University of Illinois at Chicago, Bill began his career as a Special Education teacher and worked in Community Mental Health programs before becoming an Executive Recruiter and co-founding his own firm. He joined Mayfield Fund in 1983 and served in leadership positions on many corporate and not-for profit boards, and continues to advise early stage technology companies. Bill is currently a board member of CARE USA, CARE Enterprises LLC, Microvest, and D-Rev. He also serves on the Deans’ Advisory Board of the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago.